ESSENCE.COM TOP 8 CELEB COUPLES TO PEEP IN 2008

Essence.com has listed their top 8 celebrity couples for us to watch out for in 2008. Why we should watch out for them is beyond me because there were a couple of couples listed that pretty much shocked the hell out of me. On the other hand, there were also a couple of couples who I thought would've made the list but didn't such as Kimora and Djimon. They could've at least gave them an honorable mention. I mean, really.

Rihanna & Chris Brown
The R&B 'It' Girl and teenage heartthrob have denied they're dating ever since they teamed up on the Umbrella remix last year, yet the rumors just won't die. In January, they pushed blogger speculation into a frenzy when Rihanna was spotted in Brown's tour jacket after they allegedly embarked on a Barney's shopping spree in New York.


BLOGGER'S NOTE: In Rihanna's defense, the singer has gone on record as saying the rumors regarding her and Chis Brown dating are as false as the rumors of her hooking up with Jay-Z, Puffy and Omarion (who she says is 'way too short' for her). Rih-Rih says if she had a man, she would let the whole world know because she has nothing to hide.



Ashanti & Nelly
The St. Louis rapper and Long Island, NY songbird have a relationship dating back to 2004. Seen snuggling in countless corners and profiling on the red carpet, the curiously cute labelmates have taken time off from the spotlight to work on their upcoming albums, both due out in June 2008.





Steve Harvey & Marjorie Bridges
The fifty-something funnyman announced his engagement to Marjorie Bridges, his companion of a year and a half, last June. Unable to wait any longer to begin their future together, the loving pair jetted to Maui by month's end for a breathtaking Hawaiian wedding. Newlywed Harvey, also a syndicated radio personality, recently shaved off his trademark 'do in an effort to "bring [his] sexy back."





Megan Good & Thomas Jones
Rumors that the Hollywood vixen was pregnant by Jones, a NY Jets running back, proved false. But the gossip about their on-going love affair was very, very true. After several paparazzi pictures of the couple snuggling at parties in New York and Miami appeared online, they came clean about their romance last summer.

CLICK 'READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP' TO SEE THE REMAINING FOUR CELEB COUPLES TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2008.

Forest & Keisha Whitaker
When Whitaker did the red carpet rounds in 2007, scooping up multiple award wins for his Oscar-worthy performance in The Last King of Scotland, wife Keisha was by his side. The statuesque former model turned heads in stunning ensembles and announced she was ready to step into the spotlight by becoming a celebrity correspondent in 2008.





Malinda Williams & D-Nice
After being spotted canoodling at hotspots in New York and Los Angeles, Hollywood sweetheart Malinda Williams announced her engagement to D-Nice in November 2007. The former rapper/producer of 80s fame and his leading lady have set a wedding date for August 2008.





Melanie Brown & Stephen Belafonte
During the Spice Girl's tabloid-ready pregnancy last year, movie producer Stephen Belafonte provided the calm in Mel B's media storm. Hooking up with the former Dancing With the Stars contestant while she was pregnant, the two went from zero to sixty in a matter of months, finally tying the knot in June, just after her daughter was born.





Laila Ali & Curtis Conway
This celebrity power couple literally jumped the broom in July 2007, then embarked on a fabulous Tahitian honeymoon. The middleweight champion boxer and American Gladiator has found true love with the former NFL defensive end. Ali is now stepmom to three handsome boys.